Re: Godel Goofed? Nope.

["Kelli Halliburton" <kelli217@crosswinds.not>]

> I'm wouldn't be surprised to hear you say that you hope so. However, under
> the rigorous anti Christian persecutions by the atheistic rulers of the
> Soviet Union for 75 years, Christianity has become stronger than ever.
> Ditto in mainland China, and other communist countries. It still exists,
in
> Iraq and Iran where centuries of total societal rejection hasn't stamped
it
> out. The Turks practiced genocide on the Christian Armenian people, and
yet
> both the people and the faith survives. And Christians don't have the
ethic
> unity that has helped the Jews to remain a people. So, time will tell, but
> I am confident that the faith, which is still spreading and growing
> (outside Europe) will survive. I personally think that you suffer from a
> provincial attitude in this area.

That religion which is persecuted grows. When it achieves mainstream status,
it begins to die. Thus, Christianity is growing in the east and middle east,
but is losing its strength in the west. Note that I am not saying that it is
not strong; merely that it is less strong than before. The Holy Roman Empire
was both the pinnacle of Catholicism and the beginning of its decline.

A religion can prolong its decline, and slow it down to some extent, by
manufacturing enemies to fight against. This creates an implied threat by
the new so-called 'enemies,' and therefore a sort of artificial persecution.
"They threaten our way of life, and our faith," is the oft-heard call to
arms.